Swiss researchers tested honey samples from around the world and found that three-quarters of them had a common type of pesticide. Even honey from the island paradise of Tahiti had the chemical.

The scientists say the chemical is not near levels that would come close to harming humans, but it is a big worry for bees. "What this shows is the magnitude of the contamination, " said study lead author Edward Mitchell, a biologyprofessor at the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland, adding that there are "relatively few places where we did not find any."

They tested about 300 samples altogether, and researchers tested 198 of them for five of the most common types of Ebonics. They found 75 percent had at least one of five kinds of the insecticides called neonicotinoides. Neonics reduce and weaken honeybee hives, although pesticide makers dispute those studies. Neonics work by attacking an insect's central nervous system. The results of the research were published on Thursday in the journal Science.